Adam Rivas
United States
Louisiana
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So rather then describe the Mechanics in detail and drone on about production how this can be better or worse I'd like to describe my experiences with the game as a new player and give my take on playing it.
I love knights and Arthur related material. I love fantasy and magic. I love and Sci-Fi to- but that (as the narrator of Conan would say) is another story...
In that vein let me open by saying this: This game kicked in the teeth of my game troop and I the first 6 games we played (minus the traitor aspect).
It's a deceptively simple game mechanics-wise, and so we (seasoned in many things geekish) thought we were gonna take on the quests, find the relics and wipe evil from the face of Camelot!
Then evil ripped our faces off- Quickly! We couldn't imagine winning let alone playing with a traitor.
We searched the rules thinking we had missed something, or possibly that designers had possibly made an un-winnable game as some sick joke on gamer kind!
Well we were wrong...ya see its all about being a Knight that helps you win this game, and I don't mean playing a mini. Rather I mean exhibiting those qualities that we all think about the :good" knight like Arty and his gang.
What are those qualities?
Self Sacrifice for the greater good (Be not greedy)
Chivalry (especially Do for those in need)
Teamwork (you wont live long in Camelot with out it)
SoC is a automated engine of doom. When you play it you truly are playing against the game itself. I received it as a gift for Christmas and played solo. I was amazed at how quickly the game bites in on you and sinks into the bone. Solo is tricky and dangerous (I will write a variant for it later in another thread), however a group of knights has just as much of a hard time against the juggernaut of SoC.
Don't get me wrong- this game is a LOT of fun to play, a LOT however until you learn to control the flow of Evil against you you're doomed and the game can be frustrating (seeming like you will never win).
How do you stem the flow of Evil? See the above mentioned traits of Knights and emulate them. Be ready to spend life points, collaborate about what acts of evil to perform, and help your fellows.
All in all this is truly a fantastic game. I have owned it for 6 days and I got the expansion today because I'm totally sold on it. It allows for a fantastic adventure, and play time for 3-4 people allows for multiple games in an evening. The quality of the pieces, boards, art and cards is top notch, and the game has lots of replay value I believe.
I hope you enjoy it if you play it or purchase it,
its worth the money and time,
A
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Wade Nelson
United States
Saint Louis Park
Minnesota
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Glad to hear you enjoyed it. The expansion will makes things even more difficult and add some new twists, so you'll really have to work together.
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Julio Escandon
Mexico
Hidalgo
Texas
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Welcome to BGG! Yes a great game indeed. Try finding a copy of this too: Shadows over Camelot: A Company of Knights. While not adding anything to gameplay it looks great on the table and add another Knight. It is OOP but sometimes you can find a copy on ebay.
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Arthur Rutyna
United States
Plymouth
Michigan
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Yes, I really like this game as well. I can see that if you don't like the whole fantasy and Arthurian legend of knights thing, you may not like it. But if you can role play just a little, then WOW what a blast!!!
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Team Ski
United States
Dover
Delaware
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Group synergy is critical. The last couple of games my group played last week weren't even close yet another group I played with with some different players in the mix a couple months ago had no problem winning the game.
This last group made a ton of accusations which turned out false. Not a lot of love, that is for sure.
If you have a couple goobers in your group, you can write the game off.
I really like SOC. It is a blast every time I play it.
-Ski
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Benjamin Maggi
United States
Clifton Park
New York
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Teamski wrote: Group synergy is critical.
This is the most important aspect, and considering it is a co-op game it should be. However, many people miss this cruicial part. Whenever I play with new people I stress how they MUST act together to win but I don't tell them HOW to accomplish this. Telling them key strategies (like gang-busting the Grail Quest or the Excalibur Quest) may guarantee a win but it doesn't allow the group to mature, come together and discuss the problems and plan solutions, or allow for individuality. Watching a group struggle and lose their first game usually results in them trying harder the next time... must better then giving them easy hints at the beginning. Now, groups vary and if I know a certain group will probably only play this once in their life I may prod them in certain directions.
I know many people suggest playing without the traitor the first few times but I find that this kills much of the game for me. I intentionally always use X+1 to make the traitor/loyal card pool so that there is a greater chance of a traitor. Strangely, even then most people don't seem to grasp the ramifications of not locating and calling out via accusation the traitor (2 white swords to black).
Overall, one of my favorite games that never seems to be dull. One time we were playing with 7 "gamers" and pulled the five Morgan cards within the first 15 cards, despite shuffling. That killed the game for us and we HAD to try it again to beat it.
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Mark Thomason
United States
Washington
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As my geekbadge shows, I'm a big fan and always pleased to see new people find such a great game.
If you're finding yourself being slaughtered without a traitor, however, I suggest you don't look into other co-op or co-op/traitor games for a while. SOC is one of the most easy co-ops to beat if you don't have a traitor - or at least if you know you don't have a traitor. The impact of the traitor is enough that even if you only think you might have, the slinging of accusations can be enough to sink the team.
As to how to beat the game on its own, simply look at the value of the choices you make. I've won 95% of the games I've ever played without a traitor, and about 40% of those with a traitor, and a lot has to do with using special abilities well and choosing which quests to focus on when and also when to sacrifice life or lay down catapults.
There are a couple of weaknesses to the game that can be exploited by a traitor, so depending on who you play with and how they play, it can kind of 'break' the game, but if everyone plays in keeping with the theme, you'll find this game will get played regularly for years.
Have fun!
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Team Ski
United States
Dover
Delaware
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Blackfaer wrote:
There are a couple of weaknesses to the game that can be exploited by a traitor, so depending on who you play with and how they play, it can kind of 'break' the game, but if everyone plays in keeping with the theme, you'll find this game will get played regularly for years.
Have fun!
Laying down a high point value black card face down is a great way to screw people up. A traitor did this to us in one game and the quest killed two of us outright when we revealed the cards. We never caught him either....and lost.
-Ski
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Jeremy Cramer
United States
Pennsylvania
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I love this game and have played with gamers and non-gamers and they all love it. The mechanics are simplistic, but the game it tough. As everyone has mentioned it is difficult to beat the "evil" and you really need to work together. It is a great game to play just to be able to talk with the group and work things out, especially if your group is the chatty bunch like mine that don't always take things to seriously.
After we opened this game we must have played it 5 or 6 times in a row. This really is a must have game.
I will admit that I have played almost all of the Days of Wonder games and haven't been let down yet.
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